


Under The Mistletoe

by smittenwithsugden



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Christmas, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 18:07:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13036566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenwithsugden/pseuds/smittenwithsugden
Summary: 4 times they didn’t kiss under the mistletoe, and one time they did.





	Under The Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> This was my contribution to the Robron Christmas 2017 on tumblr for December 9th

Charity had thought it was funny, hanging a mistletoe over the door to the loos.

“Everybody goes there,” she had said with a smirk.

When Robert and Aaron passed each other the first time, they barely stopped. Robert was coming out of the hallway, and Aaron wanted to go in. He held the door open for Aaron, as he passed him. Charity had opened her mouth to say something but then Aaron was already gone, so she shrugged her shoulders and just let it go.

-

The second time was the next day, and it was the other way around, and Robert stopped. 

“Hey,” he said carefully. “How are you?”

“Not bad,” Aaron said. “See you later.”

And he was off before anyone could say anything.

–

The third time was a week later; the pub was overloaded with Christmas decorations by now. It was a slow night, only Paddy at the bar, flirting with Chas, while Cain, Moira and Isaac sat at a table in the corner.

Robert and Aaron had both stopped to talk to each other. If you wanted to put it carefully, you could say that they were on friendly terms. Or, well, at least Aaron was not telling Robert to fuck off anymore.

Nobody really noticed where they stood until Charity came out from the back.

“Oi,” she called out, and when everybody looked at her, she pointed to the mistletoe above their heads with a wide grin.

Aaron looked up, and his face fell.

“No way in hell,” he said and walked out.

“Thanks for that, Charity,” Robert grumbled.

“Oh what? Did that hurt your feelings?” she asked with a smirk. “You want me to call a White to kiss it better?”

“Fuck off, Charity,” Robert shot back and left the pub.

–

The fourth time the pub was packed with people. Aaron, Liv, Cain, Faith and Moira sitting at the bar. Robert occupied a small table in the corner with his curry and Sebastian in the pram next to him. Vic had stopped briefly to talk to him and to dote over his son, but other than that people left him alone nowadays. Ever since Rebecca had died and the Whites had left town, people have left him alone. They probably didn’t know what to say, didn’t know if they should give him their condolences or not. The only exception has been Aaron, of course, he pretty much always was the exception.

He had come by, hadn’t said a word and just hugged him.

Robert had reveled in it, had allowed himself to close his eyes and actually take the comfort that he had been offering. He didn’t mourn Rebecca. As awful as that sounded, but what he mourned was the loss of a mother for Sebastian, not the person.

“I’m sorry,” Aaron had said, straight and simple and then he had walked off again.

And now it was the same. No one had greeted him except Aaron.

He got up to go to the toilets and didn’t see that Aaron had done the same. Heading in the same direction they reached the door at the same time.

“Whoops, sorry,” Aaron said and pushed the door open to let him go through, but Robert stopped to look at him.

“No problem,” Robert said. “Big family meeting?” he asked and gestured to all the Dingles at the bar.

“Yeah, sort of,” Aaron said.

“Uh, look at that,” Faith said delighted and pointed just above Robert and Aaron’s head.

“Seriously?” Aaron sighed, already knowing that they stood under the mistletoe again.

“Come on, guys, let’s see some action,” Faith said with a big smile.

“Oi, leave them be,” Chas chided her.

“What? Why? Nothing wrong about a bit of action with the ex,” Faith said with a giggle.

Aaron shook his head with a sigh. “Whatever,” he said and pressed a quick kiss to Robert’s cheek before he disappeared through the doors.

“Wow, hot stuff,” Faith said mockingly, obviously not pleased with what she had seen.

But Robert stood, dumbfounded, and all of a sudden did not have to go anymore.

When he walked back to his table, he saw Liv eyeing him suspiciously.

–

Robert didn’t know why or what had prompted it, but the coming week Liv sought him out.

He left the shop, pushing Sebastian in his pram, and she just happened to be standing there, and she fell into step beside him.

“So, how are you two doing?” she asked.

“What?” Robert asked confused. “Since when do you care?”

“Since…. Does it matter?” she asked back.

“No, I guess not,” Robert said, shrugging his shoulder. “We’re doing okay. What about you?”

Liv stopped walking instead of an answer, and Robert stopped as well, looking at her.

“Do you want him back?” she asked.

“You lost me,” Robert said.

“Aaron, of course, who else?” she snapped. “Do you want him back?”

Robert bit his lip. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about this in a while and Liv asking him like this just threw him for a bit.

“Of course,” he said quietly. “I’ll always want him back, but I’m not good for him. He deserves better than me, somebody he can rely on. And with Sebastian in the picture…”

Liv raised her eyebrows at that and shook her head.

“All right then,” she said and turned around. “See you later.”

A couple of days later Robert was at the pub again, having his tea, this time with his sister as company who had her night off and was clearly more interested in making silly noises at Sebastian than talking to him.

Liv and Aaron were at the other end of the pub, having their tea there as well. There were a few other folks in the pub, Chas was behind the bar and Paddy sitting at the bar chatting her up.

Robert got up to go to the loo, and when he came back, he saw Aaron heading in the direction. He stopped to hold the door open for him and shot him a quick smile.

“Freeze,” Liv called out when Aaron was beside him.

They both stopped in surprise and looked at her. She shrugged with a big grin and pointed to the mistletoe.

"Et tu, Brutus?” Aaron asked. 

“Come on,” Liv said. “You know, you’ve been moping around after him. This is your chance.”

"Liv, no,” Robert said. “Don’t pressure him like this. I meant what I said; he’s better off without me. You know it, he knows it. All I do is hurt the people I love. I hurt him, and you, our family. You know that you told me enough times, so just leave him…,” Robert couldn’t finish his sentence because all of a sudden there were Aaron’s lips on his and he kissed Robert. It wasn’t overly passionate, it was just a soft touch of lips against lips, and Robert felt like his knees would go weak on him.

His face must have given him away because Aaron smiled at him.

“Only way to shut you up,” he said softly.

“You were saying?” Liv asked with a grin.

“Wanna go talk somewhere?“ Aaron asked, and Robert could only nod.


End file.
